Meadow Bank Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider had a clear mission statement which was shared with staff at the beginning of their recruitment journey. Staff were encouraged to interact with people during their initial interview so the management team could make sure staff shared the same values of the service. Staff said they enjoyed their jobs and felt listened to; there were long standing members of the team at all different staff levels.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. Staff said that managers led by example, especially their immediate line manager. Staff felt supported regarding their mental wellbeing and any improvement ideas they had. Some staff felt they would like more opportunities to progress in their role. There was a registered manager in post who had worked at the home at different levels for some time. It was evident through incident records and dealing with concerns that the registered manager was aware of their responsibilities regarding their duty of candour.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up, and their voice would be heard.

There was a whistleblowing policy and staff said they would feel confident to raise any issues, and they would be listened to and acted upon. Where lessons had been learned following investigations or concerns, these had been shared with staff in a timely manner to make sure improvements were made and maintained.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The provider had appropriate equality, diversity and inclusion policies and staff completed relevant training. Staff did not report any concerns in this area.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. We identified gaps in identifying some elements of risk, and documenting risk assessments during the assessment. These included requesting reviews of medicines, and specific medicine management risk assessments or care plans. This was addressed following our feedback.

Incidents were reviewed and discussed to identify areas for improvement. There was a clear audit schedule, for example care plan and infection prevention and control audits to monitor the service.

The provider organised an internal inspection, and managers conducted ‘walk rounds’ to check the environment and clinical outcomes.

The registered manager submitted notifications to the relevant organisations which is their legal duty to do so.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The service had several links with the local community. For example, the dementia café at the local football club, and links with local schools and nurseries. The provide collaborated with health teams such as community mental health teams, and the registered manager planned to commence monthly meetings with the rapid intervention team to share important information about people’s needs and risks.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The leadership team was committed to learning to improve the service provided to people. The registered manager was part of local forums and shared updates to guidance with staff. The service worked with charities and organisations to help the sharing of good practice. For example, there was a planned visit from the Social Care Institute for Excellence to share learning with staff around evidence based high quality dementia care provision.